This paper describes general principles of soil improvement using stone vibro piles, as well
as four design methods: Simple elastic method, Elastic method (Balaam & Booker, 1981),
Elasto-plastic method (Pulko & Majes, 2005) and Priebe's method (Priebe, 1976). Each method
is followed by calculation examples that result in settlement predictions and soil parameters of
improved soil. Stone vibro piles are typically used in countries with large areas of soft terrains,
for example coastal parts of India and southeast Asia. Soft soils have low bearing capacity and
high compressibility that under load result in high settlement values and liquefaction potential.
Large structures on soft soil usually require concrete or steel pile foundation, while soil
improvement using stone vibro piles can be used for smaller structures and storage tanks as an
economic solution for settlement reduction and improving bearing capacity of underlying soil.